We report on the initial analysis of a Herschel-PACS full range spectrum of Neptune, covering the 51-220 μm range with a mean resolving power of ~3000, and complemented by a dedicated observation of CH ... [more ▼]

We report on the initial analysis of a Herschel-PACS full range spectrum of Neptune, covering the 51-220 μm range with a mean resolving power of ~3000, and complemented by a dedicated observation of CH[SUB]4[/SUB] at 120 μm. Numerous spectral features due to HD (R(0) and R(1)), H[SUB]2[/SUB]O, CH[SUB]4[/SUB], and CO are present, but so far no new species have been found. Our results indicate that (i) Neptune's mean thermal profile is warmer by ~3 K than inferred from the Voyager radio-occultation; (ii) the D/H mixing ratio is (4.5 ± 1) × 10[SUP]-5[/SUP], confirming the enrichment of Neptune in deuterium over the protosolar value (~2.1 × 10[SUP]-5[/SUP]); (iii) the CH[SUB]4[/SUB] mixing ratio in the mid stratosphere is (1.5 ± 0.2) × 10[SUP]-3[/SUP], and CH[SUB]4[/SUB] appears to decrease in the lower stratosphere at a rate consistent with local saturation, in agreement with the scenario of CH[SUB]4[/SUB] stratospheric injection from Neptune's warm south polar region; (iv) the H[SUB]2[/SUB]O stratospheric column is (2.1 ± 0.5) × 10[SUP]14[/SUP] cm[SUP]-2[/SUP] but its vertical distribution is still to be determined, so the H[SUB]2[/SUB]O external flux remains uncertain by over an order of magnitude; and (v) the CO stratospheric abundance is about twice the tropospheric value, confirming the dual origin of CO suspected from ground-based millimeter/submillimeter observations. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA. [less ▲]

â Water and related chemistry in the Solar Systemâ is a Herschel Space Observatory Guaranteed-Time Key Programme. This project, approved by the European Space Agency, aims at determining the distribution ... [more ▼]

â Water and related chemistry in the Solar Systemâ is a Herschel Space Observatory Guaranteed-Time Key Programme. This project, approved by the European Space Agency, aims at determining the distribution, the evolution and the origin of water in Mars, the outer planets, Titan, Enceladus and the comets. It addresses the broad topic of water and its isotopologues in planetary and cometary atmospheres. The nature of cometary activity and the thermodynamics of cometary comae will be investigated by studying water excitation in a sample of comets. The D/H ratio, the key parameter for constraining the origin and evolution of Solar System species, will be measured for the first time in a Jupiter-family comet. A comparison with existing and new measurements of D/H in Oort-cloud comets will constrain the composition of pre-solar cometary grains and possibly the dynamics of the protosolar nebula. New measurements of D/H in giant planets, similarly constraining the composition of proto-planetary ices, will be obtained. The D/H and other isotopic ratios, diagnostic of Marsâ atmosphere evolution, will be accurately measured in H[SUB]2[/SUB]O and CO. The role of water vapor in Marsâ atmospheric chemistry will be studied by monitoring vertical profiles of H[SUB]2[/SUB]O and HDO and by searching for several other species (and CO and H[SUB]2[/SUB]O isotopes). A detailed study of the source of water in the upper atmosphere of the Giant Planets and Titan will be performed. By monitoring the water abundance, vertical profile, and input fluxes in the various objects, and when possible with the help of mapping observations, we will discriminate between the possible sources of water in the outer planets (interplanetary dust particles, cometary impacts, and local sources). In addition to these inter-connected objectives, serendipitous searches will enhance our knowledge of the composition of planetary and cometary atmospheres. [less ▲]

The injection of (C57BL/6 x BALB/c)F1 spleen cells into newborn BALB/c mice results in the induction of a specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) tolerance to the alloantigens. On the contrary, alloreactive ... [more ▼]

The injection of (C57BL/6 x BALB/c)F1 spleen cells into newborn BALB/c mice results in the induction of a specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) tolerance to the alloantigens. On the contrary, alloreactive CD4+ T cells persist in the host and are still able to activate autoreactive F1 B cells to produce autoantibodies. This state of "split tolerance" is closely associated with the development of a lupus-like autoimmune syndrome. The LFA-1 integrin plays a relevant role in homing, intercellular adhesion and tranduction of co-stimulatory signals in leukocytes. Because of the beneficial effects of anti-LFA-1 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) treatment in various models of organ transplantation and autoimmune disease, we have investigated if such a treatment could interfere with the induction of neonatal tolerance or the development of the autoimmune syndrome in F1 cell-injected newborn mice. For this purpose, BALB/c mice neonatally injected with F1 cells were treated from day 1 up to day 15 with a non-cytotoxic anti-LFA-1 (CD11a) mAb. Anti-LFA-1 mAb treatment interfered with the persistence of a stable chimerism and with the establishment of CTL tolerance, as shown by rejection of allogeneic skin grafts and F1 B cells, and by a normal in vitro CTL activity against the corresponding alloantigens. As a consequence, these mice did not develop the characteristic autoimmune features seen in close association with an effective induction of CTL tolerance to alloantigens. These results stress the importance of the interactions between LFA-1 and its ligands during the neonatal induction of tolerance to alloantigens [less ▲]